It may not be all that fast in the broader world of aircraft speed records, but French pilot Hugues Duval still has a fair bit to boast about with his latest accomplishment. Not only did he actually fly the aircraft pictured above — which weights just 200 pounds and has a wingspan of 16 feet — but he manged to hit a top speed of over 175 miles per hour, breaking his own record for the fastest all-electric airplane by about 15MPH. Not surprisingly, the plane itself (powered by two 35 horsepower electric motors and a pair of 1.5 kWh batteries) is better suited for short hops and the odd record attempt than any long-haul flights, as it’s not able to fly for much more than 25 minutes at a time even at a more reasonable 65 miles per hour. Video after the break (en Fran
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The oft-leaked Motorola Droid 3 is dripping information yet again, this time over on Droid-Life where an internal flyer confirms it will be available at retail locations July 14th , with direct fulfillment orders (upgrade in-store, get the phone by mail) starting a week earlier . If that’s somehow not enough, there’s also a PDF copy of the manual available for download but if you watched the tutorial videos there’s probably not much new information to be digested there. The one detail that continues to elude us however, is a confirmed price for Verizon’s QWERTY slider w/ 1080p camera and dual core processor, but after all the early reveals we’re sure you’ve had time to scrape together a suitable dowry. Droid 3 leaks reveal manual, confirm July 7th and 14th release dates originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Jul 2011 22:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Cincinnati Bell brings Froyo to Milestone XT720, holds your hand through rooting process
July 1, 2011 No Comment
Rooting is the dark side of the Android platform. It opens your phone up to a world of unsanctioned opportunities and typically has carriers swatting you back with illegal network usage fees. So you’ll understand how bizarre it is that Cincinnati Bell is offering Milestone XT720 users software and an instructional video how-to that boots Eclair out, for its Froyo successor. Making use of the widely-popular SuperOneClick app, intrepid owners will be walked through the usual root, back-up and ROM-flashing steps. But the regional carrier’s no dummy as the procedure ends with users unrooting their devices, freeing the network from unwanted congestion and reducing the risk of a bricked phone. Customers of this Ohio-based provider should check the source for a forbidden peek into Android’s underbelly. Cincinnati Bell brings Froyo to Milestone XT720, holds your hand through rooting process originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Jul 2011 21:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Barnes & Noble offers 30 free e-books to switch to Nook — that’s one expensive carrot
July 1, 2011 No Comment
It seems dangling deals to lure consumers away from competitors is all the rage these days, and Barnes & Noble has jumped on the make-the-switch bandwagon, offering $315 worth of e-books to prospective buyers of its Nook e-reader. Starting today, when owners of those other devices tote their current e-readers into a Barnes & Noble store and buy themselves a new Nook or Nook Color , they’ll get 30 free eBooks, with an apparent value of $315. Here’s the catch — because, you know there had to be one — Barnes & Noble’s won’t let you pick the books for yourself. Those 30 free eBooks will come pre-loaded on a 2GB microSD card. If you’ve got the taste of a corporate marketing team, and have been waiting for a reason to get in on the Nook action, check out the source link for more details. Full PR after the break. Continue reading Barnes & Noble offers 30 free e-books to switch to Nook — that’s one expensive carrot Barnes & Noble offers 30 free e-books to switch to Nook — that’s one expensive carrot originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Jul 2011 20:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We’ve long believed in the mystical power of quantum dots , so it makes perfect sense to us that one day they’ll be used to fully harness the Sun God’s rays and thereby save the planet. The nano-particles turn light into electricity, and could potentially be manufactured cheaply and abundantly enough to coat surfaces in current-generating paint. The main obstacle to this has so far been efficiency: the clever little dots just don’t work very hard. However, scientists at the University of Toronto now claim to have discovered a fix. Instead of using a single layer of particles, which can only harvest one meager wavelength from the full gamut of solar light, they added a second coat on top and configured it to be sensitive to an additional part of the spectrum. By adding third and fourth layers, the researchers hope to achieve a commercially viable efficiency of 10-percent within the next five years. We humbly call on Ra to be pleased with their efforts. Quantum dots could coat the world in nano-sized solar panels originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Jul 2011 18:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Okay, we’ve played this game before, but that was almost three years ago. This time, Nokia’s really leaving Japan, and they’re taking their fancy luxury phones with them. Actually, Nokia’s high-end Vertu phones were all it had left in the land of the rising sun, and even those were only readily available in Tokyo’s Shibuya and Ginza districts — so out of Japan by the end of July? No problem. The phones may be gone by August, but the Finish firm will retain offices in Tokyo through the end of the year to manage refunds, tidy up, and bid farewell to the robot loving maidens of Tokyo’s commercial district. Nokia pulls out of Japan, once again, nobody notices originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Jul 2011 19:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Facebook, Hulu partnership accidentally clicks ‘security breach’ instead of ‘Like’
July 1, 2011 No Comment
Even though there’s a For Sale sign in the window Hulu isn’t taking a break and today it unveiled a new partnership with Facebook to make its library of TV shows and movies more social. Adding Facebook Connect (competitor Netflix may be on the board , but it’s still working on adding the button ) should let the social network log you in, customize things based on preferences from you and your friends, and share time-coded likes and comments. Unfortunately what actually happened for some users was that they were suddenly given access to someone else’s Facebook account, a problem documented by both AVRev and NewTeeVee . According to a second blog post, due to approximately 50 users being affected Hulu has shut down the program, required everyone to log in again and cranked privacy settings to the highest for anyone who logged in while it was on. Of course, with rumors from the LA Times that Google (along with Microsoft and Yahoo) is interested in purchasing the service, maybe they can get an invite to the Google+ party and forget the whole thing ever happened Facebook, Hulu partnership accidentally clicks ‘security breach’ instead of ‘Like’ originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Jul 2011 18:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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The Scion iQ, Toyota’s tiny EV car that could, got an official 2012 launch yesterday at the automaker’s annual dealer meeting in Vegas. The quiet, though far from specific launch announcement frees this 65 mile-per-charge roadster from its pre-production limbo. Shown off last March at the Geneva Motor Show, the Scion iQ had been put on indefinite hold while factory production in the carmaker’s disaster-stricken homeland ramped back up to speed. With all signs now set to go, the only red-light still lingering is the micro-subcompact’s undisclosed MSRP. Considering the recent bankruptcy of Norwegian Think’s EV offering , we’re glad to see Toyota looking out for its little guy. Continue reading Toyota Scion iQ EV plugs-in for official 2012 launch Toyota Scion iQ EV plugs-in for official 2012 launch originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Jul 2011 15:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Harrumph! Arrrgh! Is that the sound of tennis players grunting their way through points — or viewers frustrated with the noises being made? Either way, a solution has arrived. BBC radio has unveiled a program to allow listeners to minimize the sound of on-court grunting. Called Wimbledon Net Mix, it lets you fade out the
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Lets be honest, we’ve all had those moments where we’ve wanted to hit our phone with a hammer or throw our laptop against the wall. Generally though, we resist those urges, knowing full well that it would spell the end for our precious gadget. There’s a special class of rugged devices though, that are designed to withstand anything you throw at it — or throw it at, as the case may be. We took a few of these beefy products, as well as one Extreme Sleeve for your non-military grade electronics, and put them through a battery of tests that would turn your average gadget into an unrecognizable pile of silicon and plastic. Head on after the break for a dose of dramatic destruction porn and to find out how this bevy of brawny portables held up against our gratuitous onslaught. Continue reading Rugged gadgets put to the test in Engadget labs, wanton destruction ensues Rugged gadgets put to the test in Engadget labs, wanton destruction ensues originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Jul 2011 17:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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